Baby Girl
by Taylor King
Summary: A story about Mimi and Stanley's 17 year old daughter, Selena


"Nice work, ladies. Remember, no practice tomorrow because of the bon fire and uniforms on Friday." Emily Hammond called to her cheerleading squad.

Selena Richmond tied her shoelace and headed off towards the locker room.

"Do you really think he'll ask me?" Danielle Gardner fell into step beside her. The blonde girl tightened her sagging ponytail.

"Yeah, he's really into you." Selena didn't really see the big deal over Dylan Hendershot. He was a third string kicker on the football team and nice looking, but he was one of the dumbest boys in their year. She didn't understand why Danielle thought he was the perfect pick for homecoming. "Besides, you've got plenty of time."

"Who are you hoping for?" Lauren Woodhill held the locker room door open, looking at Selena.

"Collin Garvey." Selena didn't miss a beat. Collin was a tight end on the football team. He and Selena had study hall together, and spent most of their time passing notes or playing Hang Man when Old Man Griffin wasn't paying any attention.

"Oh, he's hot." Lauren breathed. "Well, Brady already asked me. So I'm set." Selena had to restrain from wrinkling her nose. Jericho was already so traditional, Lauren was exactly the girl you'd be expecting to be going to homecoming with the quarterback.

"You're not changing?" Danielle asked as Selena picked up her backpack and gym bag.

"Nah, I just have work to do at home anyway. So I might as well go like this." Selena waved as she headed towards the door.

"Selena! Hey!" Collin Garvey was just leaving the boys' locker room. His brown, wavy hair was damp from either a shower or sweat and his letterman's jacket was slung stylishly over one shoulder.

"Oh, Collin, hey. Are you guys done already?"

"Yeah, Coach isn't trying to work us too hard. You heading home?"

"Yeah, I've got animals to feed and work to do in the store."

"Me too. I've got to mow the lawn yet-all fifteen acres." Selena laughed.

"Well, be careful. Don't hurt yourself before Friday."

"Oh, I won't. Trust me." He winked and walked in the opposite direction.

Selena jogged out of the high school and ran to meet her baby-a black 2008 Ford Mustang.

"Did you miss me?" She purred, unlocking the door.

She'd fallen in love with the car six months before her seventeenth birthday. But by the time her birthday had rolled around, she was $2,000.00 short of the $5,000.00 price tag. She convinced herself she didn't need it. The car needed a ton of work anyway, so why waste the money?

But then, on the morning of her birthday, she'd come downstairs to find an unidentified set of car keys attached to a pink My Little Pony key chain. Grabbing the keys, she'd gone outside to find her car parked outside the house. Her parents admitted they'd used the $3,000.00 she had saved up-as well as $2,000.00 from her inheritance left to her by her grandmother. Now Selena worshipped the car.

October was warm this year, and Selena drove home with the windows open. She liked Kansas in the fall, but frankly, it was getting a little old. Her brother Clark had given up on Kansas and gone to college in Washington D.C. Selena had only just started her junior year in high school and had plenty of time to consider colleges. But for now, she liked the idea of Texas, maybe California. Virginia just seemed so cliché now, she didn't think she could take herself seriously.

Selena pulled the Mustang close to the trees off to the side of the yellow farmhouse, away from the farm market's traffic. There were probably two dozen cars in the parking lot and at least that many or more people milling around, taking hayrides to pick pumpkins or apples, loading cornstalks into their cars or playing in the corn maze that it had taken Selena and Stanley weeks to design and assemble.

She carried her Kipling backpack and gym bag into the house, placing them in a basket at the foot of the stairs to be taken up when she did her homework. There was no one in the house, there never was at this time of day. For a moment, Selena wandered through the downstairs. In the kitchen, she eyed the refrigerator and debated if she wanted a snack. No, no snacks. She wasn't really hungry, but her animals probably were.

Back outside, Selena strolled towards the store. Jogging up the stairs, she stooped to scratch a black and white Pomeranian lounging on the porch. As she opened the door, the dog followed her inside.

The farmer's market was far more empty than Selena had expected. Crates and coolers lined the room, holding varieties of fruits, vegetables, fall collectibles and flowers. A tiger striped cat walked along the divider between two carts containing tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Her mother was at the register behind the counter.

"Hi." Selena ducked under the counter.

"Hey." Mimi smiled, tapping the credit card she was holding against the counter. Selena quickly grabbed a tomato from the bruised vegetables crate and went into the office. Dropping down at the computer, she shook the mouse and turned off the farm screen saver. The Richmond Family Farms email account was open on the screen. Selena scrolled down, read a subject line and double clicked on the message.

_Hi: How much are your pumpkins? -Lona Harris_

Selena clicked reply and typed back:

_Hi Lona, they are 20 cents a pound. Thanks! -SMR_

The next message was from a local VFW, wondering if the Richmonds were interested in donating cornstalks to their Fall Ball. Selena figured they were, but she didn't want to assume.

"How was school?" Mimi came into the office, pulling out another chair. Selena didn't think her mother had aged for a second in all the time she could remember.

"Typical." Selena shrugged. "Tomorrow night's the bon fire, and Friday night's at New Bern."

"You had a good practice?"

"Yeah, it was fun. Nothing happened. No injuries. So what's up here?"

"Nothing." Mimi shrugged. "Any good emails?"

"Do we want to donate cornstalks to the VFW 1004?"

"For their Fall Ball? Yeah, tell them we'll give them some. But they have to come out on Saturday and get it." Selena typed the message.

"So, want me to wait on customers?"

"No, you don't have to." Mimi ran her fingers through her long hair. "You can answer emails."

"Mom, you've been waiting on customers all day. You answer the emails." Selena smiled as she got out of her chair. Quickly, she grabbed a long sleeved orange Richmond Family Farms shirt and pulled it over the t shirt she was wearing. "Where's Dad?" She asked as she walked into the main room.

"Driving hayrides. So is your uncle." Selena heard the keys clicking as her mother responded to something.

The farm life wasn't so bad, but Selena didn't really want to be here forever.


End file.
